Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-12-27
The BAHAMA BANKS.
the Wonderful Work Accomplished by tn
Busy Coral Insect.

rhe wonderful Work Accomplished by the
Busy Coral Insect.
There is not a more interesting spot
on earth or sea than the Bahama
banks. To know about them as You
may by leisurely sail over them of
from four to six knots an hour, as was
made by our heavily-laden but sturdy
Old craft, will pay for many rough
hours experience in advance. Every
body knows that somewhere off our
Florida coast are the Bahama banks;
but whether they are banks of sand, or
mud, or oyster shells, or are the mag
ical things they are, but few seafaring
men know or care. Even the latter
are by no means generally informed
about them, for vessels drawing more
than fifteen feet of water can not cross
them. The banks proper begin at
Matinella. opposite the Florida bay of
st. Lucie. They extend in southeast
erly direction. gradually increasing in
width to point opposite the southeast
coast of Florida, from thence growing
narrower and preserving a surface
regularity generally conforming with
mating in Navidad bank, JEST above the
northeast coast of Cuba. Their length
is nearly one thousand miles, and their
width varies from fifty to two hundred
miles. To the east they merge into the
| Bahama Islands, but on the west
soundings of eight hundred fathoms
have been made from the almost per-
pendicular sides of the marvellous crea-
tions of marine life; for every atom of
this almost inconcoivable formation is
the result of insect labor.
| To secure some little idea of this
deep-sea wonder close your eyes for a
moment and imagine chain of mount
aims, thousands of feet in height,
against one side of which stands pre-
cipitous mass like fossilized honeycomb,
white as snow, extending thousands of
miles, and rising like wall to nearly
the elevation of the highest peaks,
and whose upper surface, for all this
distance, is as level as floor. That is
exactly what you could see here, could
the ocean be sucked dry and you be
allowed to stand in the tremendous
channel where the Gulf stream chafes
and surges eternally.
The width of the banks at Hole in
the Wall is no more than seventy-five
miles, but the course sailed without
exception by vessels bound for Cuba
bears SO far up to the south that the
distance is trifie over one hundred
and twenty-five miles. Every inch of
this alabaster-like surface can be seen
from your vessels deck. Station a
sailor amidships and let him ''heave
the lead" every five minutes durin Q
the whole distance, and he will call
out all day long: 1.-TWO an hall
fathom, sir!'' 1.-TWO an three-quarter
fathom sir!'' 1.-TWO an half, sir!''-
IAN three-quarter, sir!'' until the
sameness in tone and depth would be
startling.
The water itself is remark able il
brilliancy of color and translucence
Such shades of green were never else
where seen. The lace-like fringes o.
every wave-cap or rolling scroll o
water is seen threaded with emerald
glittering among the snowy white witt
a sparkle, CLEAN. and simmer tina
are enhancing. And what rare anC
wondrous treat it is to stand the da,
through at the vessel rails and pee
down into this crystal space where tn
Nitching forms of sea life move in thei
eternal ways and silences. with sucl
friendly, such loving nearnessi Why
it seems that you can step out upol
this binding floor of white. and wan
der at will with these sprites of tn
sGai-Cor. n. Y. Post.